To establish its dominance in the generator manufacturing industry, Generac offers different lines of generators. Generac has the Protector series and the Guardian series. Some readers who are aware of this have asked to know which Generac series is better between the Protector series and the Guardian series.
To answer the question, we have come up with a comprehensive comparison. You need to understand that both Protector and Guardian are owned by the same brand. And Generac already has its standards. Both lines have followed Generac’s standards. So, there’s a little difference between them.
Instead of just telling you that none is better than the other, we’ll go ahead and show you the comparisons.
We have decided to compare them using the following factors – warranty, variety, remote monitoring, rate of fuel consumption, prices, noise level, ease of maintenance, fuel type, durability, diagnostic tests, availability of parts, and after-sale support.
In the end, you’ll agree with us that Protector is not better than Guardian, and Guardian isn’t better than Protector either. You’re free to pick any brand. Based on our experience, we’ll say that you’re good with any Generac generator. So, let’s begin with the comparison.
12 Major Differences between Generac Protector Vs Generac Guardian Generators:
1. Warranty
Generac generators can cost you up to $9,000 and you should expect some level of warranty on it. You’re right. Generac backs up its generators with years of warranty. Protector and Guardian are not exempted from this. Protector generators and Guardian generators come with a 5 to 10-year warranty.
And we found out from some of the beneficiaries of these warranties that Generac has been living up to expectations on its warranties. This means that the warranties are not sales promotion gimmicks. They are real.
However, the warranty covers only the cost of the replaced parts. The owner of the generator will have to pay for labor. It’s all good. Half a loaf is better than none. Also, we’ll like to warn you never to install your Generac generator yourself if you’re not qualified to do so. Don’t hire an uncertified technician as well.
If anything goes wrong with your generator, Generac engineers will investigate the cause of the fault. If it’s found that an uncertified technician tampered with it, you’ll lose the warranty on it. You don’t want to lose a 5-year warranty.
It can save you hundreds of dollars. To conclude this section, we’ll remind you that both Protector and Guardian offer 5-10 years of warranties on their generators.
2. Variety
We love brands that offer a wide variety because it gives us more options to choose from. That’s why we have rated Generac so high. Protector has numerous models of generators in the series and they are available in varying power output from 5KV up to 30KV. It’s all about your budget.
On the other hand, Guardian offers about the same number of models. On variety, we can safely say that the Guardian series match the Protector series perfectly.
There’s no winner here. If you want variety, you can choose either of them. And you know what? You can flip a coin over it.
3. Remote Monitoring
Wouldn’t you love to have access to your generator even if you’re not at home? Everyone loves the idea of monitoring their generator remotely. To underscore the importance of remote monitoring, here’s what a user told us.
He lives in Cincinnati in Ohio and he traveled to Miami, Florida, for business. While he was in Miami, his wife called to inform him that there was a power outage at home but the generator didn’t startup.
He logged into Generac’s mobile app and found out that something was wrong with the battery of the generator. So, he put a call through to the distributor that sold the generator to him.
He placed an order for a new battery. The battery of his generator was changed and the machine started working. Unfortunately, the issue occurred when the warranty period was over, so he paid out of pocket.
Without the app, he would have paid much more because a technician would have spent a few hours troubleshooting it.
Generac’s mobile app works on every Generac generator, whether it belongs to the Guardian series or the Protector series. Both Protector and Guardian generators can be monitored with the Generac mobile app.
4. Rate of Fuel Consumption
Generally, Generac generators are known for being fuel-efficient. They consume less fuel. Since both Protector generators and Guardian generators are Generac generators, they all have a low rate of fuel consumption.
A pretty new user of Generac Protector generator noticed that after switching to a 22KW Generac Protector generator, he now pays two-third of what he used to pay for propane when he was using a 22KW generator made by another brand.
So, if low fuel consumption tops your consideration list, you can choose any Generac generator whether it belongs to the Guardian series or Protector series. Their fuel consumption is low.
5. Prices
We won’t dwell much on this because both of them fall in line with Generac’s pricing range. What matters is the power output of the Generator.
For instance, a 22KW generator costs the same whether it is a Guardian generator or a Protector generator. So, we can’t separate them with prices.
6. Noise Level
One of the most important features of a standby generator is a low noise level. This is because residential areas are meant to be super-quiet.
If your generator is too noisy, it will disturb your neighbors and they may call the authorities on you. Apart from that, if a generator is noisy, even the user/owner will find it a little unbearable.
That’s why we’re glad that both Protector and Guardian generators have a low noise level and won’t disturb your neighbors. And since both of them have the same noise level of 59.5dB, we can’t present either of them as the winner here. It’s a draw again.
7. Maintenance
Generally, Generac generators are easy to maintain because they are tough, rugged, and durable. They hardly develop faults except when you need to change some parts due to wear and tear. When it comes to ease of maintenance, we’ll give it to both Protector and Guardian.
8. Fuel Type
Among the Protector series, there are generators that run on diesel and there are generators that run on both propane and natural gas. The same is applicable to the Guardian series.
Since diesel produces more fumes than propane and natural gas, we usually advise people to stick with either propane or natural gas.
For the purpose of this comparison, we’ll remind you that Protector offers diesel generators, natural gas generators, and propane generators.
Guardian offers the same too. So, there’s no winner in this area as well. So far, we have been getting a tie in all the yardsticks that we have used. The implication is that there’s no winner between Protector and Guardian.
9. Durability
As mentioned earlier, all Generac generators are tough and durable. Protector series is durable, and the Guardian series is durable as well. There’s no basis to compare both series on durability, but we can confirm that both lines have durable generators.
We spoke with the users of both series and they confirmed to us that Protector generators are durable, as well as Guardian generators.
10. Diagnostic Tests
To keep generators in perfect condition during their days of inactivity, some generators run a weekly self-diagnostic test automatically.
It happens every seven days. The test usually lasts for about 20 minutes. Once your generator is able to run a 20-minute diagnostic test on itself, the generator is perfectly fine.
Unfortunately, not every standby generator offers this feature. That’s why we appreciate it. And the good news is, Protector and Guardian generators have this feature. You can pick either of them.
11. Availability of Parts
You don’t need to worry about the availability of parts. Generac has a large number of distributors all over the United States and these distributors have inventories that are filled with parts.
So, whenever you have to change any part of your Generac generator, you can get it done easily, whether it is a Protector generator or a Guardian generator.
12. After-Sale support
Both Protector generators and Guardian generators are supported by a unified Generac customer care team. We can’t separate the two series on this. What we can only tell you is that Generac has responsive and professional customer care teams.
What is the Generac Protector Series?
The Generac Protector series is a set of standby generators with popular preconfigured options, and they come with popular accessories. They are meant to adapt to your specific home needs better than other generators. According to our findings, they are also more cost-effective. Some of them are:
- 22KW Protector QS (Model #RG022) – starting at $10,639.
- 25KW Protector (Model #RG025)- starting at $11,079.
- 30KW Protector (Model #RG030) – starting at $11,729.
- 27KW Protector QS (Model #RG027) – starting at $12,649.
What Can a 25kw Generator Power?
As far as we’re concerned, a 25KW generator can power your entire home with all your electrical appliances. The generator is powerful enough to power your heating unit, cooling unit, fans, oven, TV, dishwasher, washing machine, and other heavy equipment.
In fact, we can describe it as a mini-plant that is big enough to power a medium-sized business or home. If you have a small farm, this generator is big enough to power all your farming equipment.
How Often Should a Generac Whole House Generator Be Serviced?
Since we are talking about a Generac generator, it is better to consider what Generac recommends. And when we contacted Generac, we were told that it is better to service your Generac generator once every 6 – 12 months. We will advise you to adhere to this maintenance schedule very strictly.
It is necessary to follow this schedule to ensure that your generator is always in perfect condition. Besides, it is a warranty issue. If you skip maintenance checks, the warranty on your Generac generator may be voided. We’re sure you don’t want that.
Even if your generator is out of warranty, servicing it as and when due will lengthen its lifespan and reduce its repair costs.
Final Word
Based on the comparisons above, we will conclude that both Protector generators and Guardian generators offer the same values. None is better than the other. Both series are recommended. You can pick either of them.
